Hi Everyone, I am new here but could use some advice. I am a freshman college student, and am living in an on campus dorm room on the third floor. (This is necessary for my question) I have recently gotten a Betta named Jorge (half-moon double tail from petco), and he has quickly become very dear to me. Currently he is in a 1.5 gallon tank with a black filter (carbon) and a heater. It has two small plastic plants and a little bridge. The filter drops water straight down so Jorge can swim everywhere but the very middle of the tank fairly easily, but he does spend alot of time in the corners resting on the bottom, which worries me a little.

What I would like to know is this: I would really like to have the best possible setup for Jorge, with a bigger tank and better filter/live plants maybe, but transportation (home is hours away, but is in driving distance) is an issue for me. Does anyone know of a good balance for me? Or a good tank/filter option for me that is still able to be carried down a couple flights of stairs and out to a car fairly easily? All I want is the best for my fish. He has such a personality and just loves people!

Personally on a 1.5g I wouldn't bother with a filter, the smaller the volume of water the harder it is to cycle properly & too much current is usually an issue IME. While I advocate nothing less than a 5g, he'll be fine in the 1.5g so long as you keep up with the water changes properly, you can just move the 1.5g to & from school as needed.

lol I was in nearly exactly the same housing position you're in now last year - lived on the third floor of the building and all. My tank at that point was a 10 gallon with a few guppies, and moving it three hours by car to and from school several times really wasn't too bad.

A 5 gallon for your boy shouldn't be very difficult at all, and a 2.5 gallon would be easy. For a filter, I love the Marina s10 Slim - it's pretty much silent (great thing for when your tank is where you sleep), fits great behind the tank on a desk, and would be great for a 5 gallon. Live plants have been my saving grace while keeping fish at school and I'd highly reccomend them.

(Take note - this is all based on my experiences, and they may or may not work in your situation )

You can get a plastic 3 gal kritter keeper from petco, if want something bigger. Its light and easy to transport. maybe gets some more plants so that instead of chilling on the gravel, he can sit on a leaf or something. i don't think its anything you shld worry about. my betta does tht too. filter wise not sure. depends how much u are willing to spend. my favorite is the azoo mignon. it has a high and low flow so u don't have to worry about the current. downside is that i have never seen it in any store. i thinks its only sold online for $15-$20

I'm with Pittipuppy, as far as the filter goes. I LOVE my S10 and as a student living with parents (so with all my stuff in one room lol) I also sleep near my tank, so the silence thing was an issue, and so is space (I went through several filters before I found the right one for my 5gal). I spend most of my time in my 11x11 room and my 5gal has a footprint about equal to a printer. If it was drained to halfway, I could easily move/transport it too.

Also, my system is an NPT and the live plants keep my water parameters ideal. I got all my plants off of craigslist and spent about $15 on them. I now have so much growth that I give trimmings to friends and sell my trimmings on craigslist for extra cash.

I lived on my dorms 3rd floor last year I feel you in this one. I only had a 3 gallon for the majority of the year but I did have a ten gallon for a bit. I just siphoned it into an old trashcan when I cleaned.
As for traveling home: If you're getting a bigger tank keep the smaller tank at your house as a vacation home. You can use the kritter keepers as previously mentioned those are really nice.
For traveling if you still have the cup he came in you can use that, just make sure he doesnt get too cold A sock around the cup and maybe a plastic wrap with a hole is a good way to prevent this.
My boys normally travel in the back like this so I don't worry about them tipping over on the 3 hour drive.
Hope that helps!

I also have the slim filter and love it. Im on the third floor of my dorm too! My betta Adam is in a 10 gallon and I havet had a big problem movig him from school to home. I bought ziploc cups that have locking lids ad cut a small air hole in it. Seems to work great and gives him more room than the cup.

I'm also keeping my betta in my dorm room. As far as transportation between school and home goes, I move my betta into a plastic cup with a lid and stick him in the cup holder of my parent's car. I toss some of his tank gravel at the bottom of the cup so he has something to rest on during the ride.
And I would agree with everyone else here. Upgrade to a slightly larger tank and invest in a Marina slim filter. I'm pretty positive that the filter has been one of my best fish maintenance purchases. :)